Is anyone a vegetarian?

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cumulus.james

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I am not sure if I have attempted this topic before on this forum or another. But I have for a number of years wanted to become a mostly vegetarian but I am finding it hard. Firstly the prepared vegetarian stuff in supermarkets (ready meals etc) are f*****g horrible. So I have been trying to make my own, in batches where I can freeze them. I make a mixed bean chilly which is nice, and a lentil curry which is acceptable. I tried making some pasta bakes but found the pasta goes mushy, same thing with a vegetable stir fry.

So it is really about finding stuff of convenience for main meals. Trying to replace the nutrients one would get from meat worries me also.

So if anyone is a vege/vegan would love to hear your stories and your advice on making the transition.
 
Hi not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy vegetarian dishes. Sorry I have no advice but a few recipe suggestions. Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Curry is delicious. Donyou eat dairy? If so combining feta is good too, quiches, pizzas etc.

Good luck
 
Yes been a veggie for 30 years now and it's so easy if you find a good veggie cookbook. My bible is Rose Elliots Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, but it's quite old now and may be out of print. Maybe if you google you might find a copy?
She's written a lot of other books but I enjoy the recipes in this one the most.
Good Luck.
 
Serenia said:
Hi not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy vegetarian dishes. Sorry I have no advice but a few recipe suggestions. Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Curry is delicious. Donyou eat dairy? If so combining feta is good too, quiches, pizzas etc.

Good luck

Quiches are fattening aren't they? I used to make fritatas, I wonder if they could be frozen, they might go a bit rubbery.
 
cumulus.james said:
Quiches are fattening aren't they? I used to make fritatas, I wonder if they could be frozen, they might go a bit rubbery.

If you're making it yourself, it doesn't have to be fattening. You get to control what you include and how much of it.

Also, alternatives to meat if you want to keep a balanced amount of protein (which is what you'd mostly get from it anyway): nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs & dairy (if you take it), soy.... and I can't think of anymore at the moment.

I'm not a nutrition expert but I believe any other vitamins or minerals found in meat products can be found in a variety of plant sources. So eating a variety of these should be good enough. The only worry would be the protein content... which isn't that hard to substitute with the above I listed.
 
ladyforsaken said:
cumulus.james said:
Quiches are fattening aren't they? I used to make fritatas, I wonder if they could be frozen, they might go a bit rubbery.

If you're making it yourself, it doesn't have to be fattening. You get to control what you include and how much of it.

Also you don't need to eat it everyday. You can also make crustless quiches.
 
ladyforsaken said:
cumulus.james said:
Quiches are fattening aren't they? I used to make fritatas, I wonder if they could be frozen, they might go a bit rubbery.

If you're making it yourself, it doesn't have to be fattening. You get to control what you include and how much of it.

Also, alternatives to meat if you want to keep a balanced amount of protein (which is what you'd mostly get from it anyway): nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs & dairy (if you take it), soy.... and I can't think of anymore at the moment.

I'm not a nutrition expert but I believe any other vitamins or minerals found in meat products can be found in a variety of plant sources. So eating a variety of these should be good enough. The only worry would be the protein content... which isn't that hard to substitute with the above I listed.

I did start keeping nuts and seeds in years ago but fell out the habit. Did I read some place that all these heavy meals are not good for us and we are supposed to graze rather than gorge?

As a single man I must say the thing that I find most bothersome is cooking the main meal. I should love to dispense with that.
 
cumulus.james said:
I did start keeping nuts and seeds in years ago but fell out the habit. Did I read some place that all these heavy meals are not good for us and we are supposed to graze rather than gorge?

As a single man I must say the thing that I find most bothersome is cooking the main meal. I should love to dispense with that.

I've heard you are suppose to graze instead, and that is turning into a food term now.

My sister was a vegetarian for quite some time, I think culinary school ruined that for her though. lol.

I like to marinate and grill veggies and mushrooms as a meal. It's really good and easy.

I make soups in my crockpot and freeze them for later meals too.
 
Every time I have tried to make a soup it has turned out disgusting. I can only make curry from paste too, if I try to make it with all the spices and that it just goes wrong.

Breakfast and lunch are no trouble, it's just I want things I can just get out the freezer and shove in the oven.

I guess pesto with pasta, sundried tomatoes, a few pine nuts and watercress is a quite nice simple and easy meal.
 
Honestly, try going to some vegan/vegetarian restaurants also to learn the dishes and combinations of foods, and if one is not used to cooking (even if one is good at cooking occasionally, doing it every other day is quite a chore) it can be daunting. There are also short courses, when I "turned" completely I did take one and also bought a bunch of cookbooks, at least to get some ideas.

The point is, unless one is vegetarian for purely ideological reasons, health is not going to improve unless the diet is a clean one, with fresh vegetables correctly prepared and preserved, and as you point out (I agree) a lot of prepared vegetarian food is complete junk, so learning to cook is part of the deal.

Ok, this is a confession: as I have to eat (mostly) vegan for health and I just don't have time for cooking, I settled for a very simple diet based on brown rice and vegetables and sauces cooked with an electric steam cooker (and kept in the fridge up for three days), thankfully I really like it and have a lustful piece of roasted chicken maybe once a month or even less, but with a bit more effort the food can be amazing.
PS my blood tests have never been better before in my life
 
cumulus.james said:
Every time I have tried to make a soup it has turned out disgusting.

. . .

Breakfast and lunch are no trouble, it's just I want things I can just get out the freezer and shove in the oven.

But that's the beauty of soups and stews. You can put things in a pot, with some broth or water, season it up, and have a tasty bowl of food to nibble on.

Perhaps you can make veggie lasagna. Or trays of something similar, make sure they're sealed, date them for reference, stick them in the freezer, and then when you feel like eating something, take it out and pop it in the oven.
 
I was vegetarian for a while, and loved to make a nut roast - do people still do that nowadays? It froze well. Tried to go organic but that was too expensive. I love Mediterranean-style roast vegetables.

Cranks in Covent Garden did delicious veggie food - these look appetising:

Cranks Veggie Slow Food Recipes
 
I am but I haven't cooked for myself much at all. Yet another thing that will need to change when I get back to NZ.
 
I'm struggling with this. I have never liked meat, so I barely have eat it in my entire life. The few times I have done it have been from pressure. The only thing I eat is eggs, which I think doesn't make me a vegetarian. Eggs is one of the most difficult food to replace. I'm struggling a lot with this.

Is not an easy road, replace everything step by step. Instead all at once. So, the transition is easier.

Good luck
 
Eating eggs still counts as vegetarian in my mind if they haven't been fertilized.
 
Paraiyar said:
Eating eggs still counts as vegetarian in my mind if they haven't been fertilized.

Oh, I didn't know that.Thanks.

Go to google what is a fertilized egg.:club:
 
Eliraven said:
Paraiyar said:
Eating eggs still counts as vegetarian in my mind if they haven't been fertilized.

Oh, I didn't know that.Thanks.

Go to google what is a fertilized egg.:club:

Yeah, some might disagree with me on that though.
 
Paraiyar said:
Eliraven said:
Paraiyar said:
Eating eggs still counts as vegetarian in my mind if they haven't been fertilized.

Oh, I didn't know that.Thanks.

Go to google what is a fertilized egg.:club:

Yeah, some might disagree with me on that though.

There are different types of vegetarian diets, a simple list on this website. There are those who do include eggs in their vegetarian diet.
 
I've been a vegetarian for 14 years and have been vegan for a little over a year.

Vegweb.com is a decent site, as it sorts the food by category so you can find some ideas. However, of you find something you like, I would recommend looking for other recipes, as I don't care for most of the recipes that I've tried on that site.
 

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